Modernisation and Strengthening of Intellectual Property Offices: Indian IPO On The Rise
Modernisation and Strengthening of Intellectual Property Offices: Indian IPO On The Rise
A separate office has been constructed by the Intellectual Property Office of India to facilitate its functioning as the ISA -International Searching Authority and IPEA -International Preliminary Examining Authority unde the PCT or Patent Cooperation Treaty.
This is part of the plan scheme of the GoI for Modernisation and Strengthening of Intellectual Property Offices and it is pegged to cost 30.2 crore. A new payment gateway integrated to the e-filing system of th IPO was also inaugurated alongside recently. Through this facility, customers ca issue payments using internet banking credit or debit cards of more than 70 banks.
Earlier, internet banking of only 2 banks was accepted. The e-filing facility covering all forms were also provided by the IPO for patients and trademarks earlier. But through this new payment gateway, the results are already positive as online filing has shot up to 75% from 25%.
Secretary Amitabh Kant spoke on the occasion and said that the blend of hardware and software which characteries the effective and skilled functioning of the IPO office. Intellectual property plays a vital role in boosting the Indian manufacturing sector, as patents play a vital role in the development of this sector. An IPR policy is also expected to be released soon.
During the launch of the gateway, a technical magazine for the IPO called IP Expressions was also released. This will start out as an biennial presentation and benefit researchers as well as academicians and professionals in this field.
The latest innovation for transparency offered by the Indian Patent Office namely Stock and Flow has come about as well under the NDA government. As per this facility, which existed only for trademarks last year has now been extended to patents this year. The stock and flow in the IPO offices will now be shown in real time basis. This will improve both monitoring and accountability.
Transparency has always been a very important part of effective functioning of organisations. The more opaque an organisation is, the less chances there are of any real growth or development. Censorship does not work. Freedom will always find its voice.
With the latest innovations in the field of intellectual property rights and changes made for the more effective functioning of the IPO, less has been left to chance. Transparency will allow for more information dissemination as well. This is a an important step in the growth of the manufacturing sector in our country.
